My new bonsai - am i doing it right?
- Porgie91
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I owned a bonsai before when I lived in Italy, but we had one of the coldest winters in 50 years and it didn't make it . I thought i'd give it another shot - so here's what i'm planning, I'd love your expertise.
So I bought a Chinese Elm - first thing I noticed when I got him is the root structure was already right at the edges of the pot (some leaves were a little yellow too) - I decided to re-pot him asap in to something a little bigger. I gently separated the roots with a blunt object and put bonsai soil in the pot, fertilised the soil and now he's sitting pretty in his new house.
I put him outside every day so he can get the sun he needs, but during the winter months, I've also created a little grow light shelf to help him out (pictures attached). I'd love your opinion on this, as I haven't really seen many topics on it. I know bonsai shouldn't be grown indoors, but in the UK climate I think it's important to have a contingency for when it's too cold / there isn't enough light.
What do you guys think? Are the grow-lights completely useless?
I've named him Geoff btw
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- Porgie91
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Replied by Porgie91 on topic My new bonsai - am i doing it right?
Posted 6 years 10 months ago #37669Equally how do you avoid it getting killed by frigid conditions.
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- Madartej21
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Replied by Madartej21 on topic My new bonsai - am i doing it right?
Posted 6 years 10 months ago #37675Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.
- m5eaygeoff
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Replied by m5eaygeoff on topic My new bonsai - am i doing it right?
Posted 6 years 10 months ago #37676If you must put it under cover then a cold greenhouse will suffice.
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- leatherback
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Replied by leatherback on topic My new bonsai - am i doing it right?
Posted 6 years 10 months ago #37681Nice to see you getting back into it.
Moving a tree in and outside frequently is not a good idea. Just as you get bit of a shock when you walk outside, trees also need to get settled. Plants take much longer to adjust to changing conditions. So there adjusting is a process that takes days to weeks, rather then seconds. So every time you move it outside, it gets disrupted and it never gets to settle. So typically, plants that are kept indoors over winter, are moved inside at the end of fall. To stay indoors untill it is safe to move them outside.
By the way.. Chinese elm can stand a good level of frost as long as it has been staying outside from the fall (!). DId yo utake a look at what kills bonsai in winter?:
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- Porgie91
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Replied by Porgie91 on topic My new bonsai - am i doing it right?
Posted 6 years 10 months ago #37710Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.
- Porgie91
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Replied by Porgie91 on topic My new bonsai - am i doing it right?
Posted 6 years 10 months ago #37714Madartej21 wrote: yeah pretty much everything you wrote will eventually kill your ridicolously named mallsai
How dare you call geoff a mallsai. You're a mallsai.
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- Auk
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Porgie91 wrote:
Madartej21 wrote: yeah pretty much everything you wrote will eventually kill your ridicolously named mallsai
How dare you call geoff a mallsai.
Still better than calling it geoff.
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- Madartej21
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Replied by Madartej21 on topic My new bonsai - am i doing it right?
Posted 6 years 10 months ago #37716Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.
- leatherback
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Replied by leatherback on topic My new bonsai - am i doing it right?
Posted 6 years 10 months ago #37737Porgie91 wrote: Okay so I've moved my tree outside, he'll stay out there all summer & winter. My only worry is that geoff's roots will get too cold. Hopefully the bigger pot will help prevent that. Is it uncommon to put some insulation around the pot during winter months to avoid root damage?
Is winter over where you are?
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